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College Students Reduce Anxiety, Depression With Meditation

The transcendental meditation technique may be an effective method to reduce blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and anger among at-risk college students, according to a study published in the American Journal of Hypertension.

This study was conducted at American University with 298 university students randomly allocated to either the Transcendental Meditation technique or wait-list control over a three-month intervention period. A subgroup of 159 subjects at risk for hypertension was analyzed separately. At baseline and after three months, blood pressure, psychological distress, and coping ability were assessed.

For the students at risk for developing hypertension, significant improvements were observed in blood pressure, psychological distress and coping. Compared to the control group, students practicing the Transcendental Meditation program showed reductions of 6.3 mmHg in systolic blood pressure and 4.0 mmHg in diastolic blood pressure. These reductions are associated with a 52% lower risk for development of hypertension in later years.

“This is the first randomized controlled study to show in young adults at risk for hypertension reductions in blood pressure that were associated with changes in psychological distress and coping,” says Sanford Nidich, EdD, lead author and senior researcher at the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention at Maharishi University of Management. “Previous research has shown that psychological distress such as anxiety, depression, and anger contribute to the development of hypertension in young adults,” says Nidich.

— Source: American University